Djinn Box Set by A.R. Moler

Author:A.R. Moler [Moler, A.R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: JMS Books LLC
Published: 2018-10-29T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 5

Going to see Summer a second time was somewhat less nerve wracking, but Dale still felt more comfortable taking Riadh with him. Clear a building of insurgents? No problem. Field strip his Sig? With his eyes closed. Negotiate with a dragon? That left him with sweaty palms and a knot in his gut.

Walking up to the front door, Dale knocked. There was no response for a couple of minutes. He glanced at Riadh, an eyebrow raised. Finally the door opened. Summer wore an ankle length skirt and a T-shirt. An interesting scent wafted out from the open doorway, something fruity, maybe orange?

“Come in. I was in the middle of grating peels.” Summer beckoned them in.

They followed her into the kitchen at the back of the house. There was a big plate of dried orange peels and a metal grater on the table over the top of a bowl. The counter held some more bowls, as well as a mortar and pestle.

“What are you making?” Dale asked.

“Cinnamon orange incense. It’s my business. Summer’s incense. I make a few dozen scents on a regular basis and you can custom order just about anything,” she said. “Did you think I just sat around all day admiring the artwork?”

“I wasn’t sure what you did,” Dale admitted.

“Have a seat. I’ll get you some lemonade.” She gestured at the chairs along one side of the table and Dale and Riadh both sat. Summer took a big glass pitcher from the refrigerator. “So, any response to my little nudge a few days ago?”

Dale nodded. “I can tell if an item has magical properties if I touch it. It doesn’t seem to apply to things that are used in spells though.”

“Ah.” Summer took two glasses out of a cupboard and set them on the table.

“But I still can’t tell what an item does.” Dale blurted out.

Riadh said, “There are times when I have very little idea what an item does.”

Summer poured the lemonade into the glasses and made a little snort of amusement. “It’s magic not omniscience.” She sat down and lit a cigarette. “Even for a djinn.”

“What comes next?” Dale asked.

“Grating.” She pushed the bowl with the metal grater on top of it toward Dale. “I’ll be back shortly.”

Dale stared after her as she walked out the back door. Really? She wanted him to grate orange peels? Maybe this was a test of patience. Or maybe one of those Zen things. Wax on, wax off. He started the task. “Think I’m being played?” he asked Riadh.

“I doubt it. Dragons seldom do anything without a reason.”

Dale spent the next fifteen to twenty minutes dealing with the orange peels. It was a nice fresh scent and a rather mindless task. He did have to watch out for catching his fingernails on the grater though. He also drank most of the lemonade in his glass.

Eventually Summer came back into the kitchen she had a batch of items in her hands. She set them on the table. There was a pillar candle, a wooden spoon, a pair of scissors and ceramic cup.

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